Ice-cream is not a frozen dessert

Whether ice-cream is a frozen dessert or not, is a big confusion in the minds of us all. A layman will not be able to tell the difference between ice-cream and frozen dessert. In India, frozen dessert has occupied 40 percent of the ice-cream segment.

There is a big difference between ice-cream and frozen dessert. Dairy fat and milk are used in making ice-cream, whereas for frozen desserts vegetable oil is used. This oil can be the same as palm-oil or coconut oil …basically the ones which we avoid in our daily diet.

According to the FSSAI, the comparison goes this way:

Ice-creams, softy or kulfi are made from pasteurised mix which includes milk, sugar, fruits and permitted stabilizing and emulsifying agents.

Frozen desserts have milk fat, vegetable oil, vegetable protein and sugar or glucose. The fat content in frozen desserts has a melting point of 37°C.

The calorie count for the two is (per 100 gm serving)

Ice-cream

Energy- 217 kcal

Protein- 3.5 gm

Carbs – 21.5

Fat- 13

Calcium- 176 mg

Frozen Dessert

Energy- 200 kcal

Protein- 4

Carbs- 23

Fat- 10.5

Saturated fat- 5.8

Trans-fat- traces

The trans fats and saturated fats found in the frozen desserts are actually harmful for health. They add to your weight, can raise cholesterol problems and also create heart problems.

Since the issues over ice-cream and frozen desserts do make a difference in the lives of a common man when it comes to health issues, the government has come up with a notification amending the labelling of frozen desserts as “vegetable fat based ice-cream” or “non dairy ice-cream”. It is up to the consumers to now study these labels carefully before consuming a product.